Jawbone Releases Updated UP Wristband

macrumors bot

Last year, Bluetooth headset and speaker manufacturer released the UP wristband to much critical acclaim, only to pull it off the market a month later because of a defective design and numerous unhappy customers. The situation was so bad, Jawbone offered a "no questions asked guarantee", refunded all UP purchasers the full price paid, and allowed them to keep the device.

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Today, Jawbone released version 2.0 of the UP wristband, promising redesigned hardware and a better user experience. The wristband is similar to the Nike+ FuelBand that Apple began selling last month.

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The Up, which was and still is a flexible bracelet, had two distinct issues that led to the hardware failures and thus the returns, Bogard explains now. The first was that small amounts of water were able to get into the band, causing moisture and contaminants to break some of the internal technology. The second was that the bendable nature of the band caused some of the tech components to break; people were bending and playing with the bracelet more than Jawbone had anticipated.

"In the last year we have learned a ton and we learned a lot from what became this beta in the real world. We got a lot of rich data from our users," Bogard explained. And with that the company built the next version of the Up, which is launching today in eight colors for $129.99.

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The new Jawbone is available at Jawbone.com, Apple, AT&T and Best Buy stores. The UP app is available free on the App Store. [Direct Link]

macrumors 65816

I think it's too little too late. I wanted one of these back when they launched but everyone that had one said they were buggy and not responsive. Now it's just associated with the same problems.
Lets see what happens though.

macrumors 6502

macrumors newbie

I just picked one up today...I'll report back on how it works. While Jawbone failed on UP 1.0, they stood behind their product and never had anything short of great customer support. They know they biffed it, and they lost a lot of money on the first go-around. It sounds like they're pretty confident that they've got it right this time, and I hope they do...

I still find the Jawbone UP more compelling than FitBit or Nike+ Fuelband. I hope Jawbone UP 3.0 has wireless syncing.

macrumors 65816

I bought Jawbone 1.0 and it was a mess. Only two of the three features is neat. Taking pictures of your food and such never did much? The alarm and sleep tracker was neat. I went through three bands and they all broke. I finally got a refund. A little weary to try 2.0.

macrumors 6502

I am a basketball official and wanted something to track workouts and the amount of distance covered during a game. I got a fitbit and loved it. The only problem is the form factor - I took off my pants one night, forgot I had it on the waistband and washed it. After that I got an Up for myself and my wife. Hers went bad almost immediately. We got the refund for hers and I took it back to the store for the exchange. I will make a long story short with this:

Fitbit
Pros: Accuracy (must supply walking and running step distance), battery life, small size, now measures flights of stairs, records activities, display on the device
Cons: must put on waistband making it easy to lose, app seems to be lacking (not sure if it will sync with bluetooth), sleep function...if you wear the stupid wristband

Jawbone Up
Pros: Accuracy, inactive notification (vibrates), records activities, measures sleep, wake from sleep, looks like a normal bracelet - harder to lose, new app looks better
Cons: must be plugged into audio jack of phone to upload information (hard if you have certain phone cases), losing a cap is inevitable, spotty reliability history

Nike Fuelband
Pros: the almighty Nike name, looks like a normal bracelet, harder to lose, the app is great, bluetooth syncing with phone
Cons: stupid Nike Fuel measurement, other measurements are not accurate (Polar heart rate monitor said I burned 360 calories, Fuelband said I burned 177 on my elliptical), no sleep measurements, no activity measurements, price ($161 after taxes)

I returned the Nike Fuelband yesterday and planned on getting a Fitbit One today. I'm not sure if I should hold off now. I am forced to put the devices, except the fitbit, into my pocket when I officiate. It wasn't a problem Saturday night (college game) with the Fuelband, but the stupid Nike Fuel said I didn't reach my goal after being on the elliptical for 30 minutes in the morning and running an entire college game...that should have been more than 10,000 steps (what I have been told should be everyone's goal).

Sorry for the long post. Since I am in the position I am in this gives me something to think about.

macrumors 6502a

I am a basketball official and wanted something to track workouts and the amount of distance covered during a game. I got a fitbit and loved it. The only problem is the form factor - I took off my pants one night, forgot I had it on the waistband and washed it. After that I got an Up for myself and my wife. Hers went bad almost immediately. We got the refund for hers and I took it back to the store for the exchange. I will make a long story short with this:

Fitbit
Pros: Accuracy (must supply walking and running step distance), battery life, small size, now measures flights of stairs, records activities, display on the device
Cons: must put on waistband making it easy to lose, app seems to be lacking (not sure if it will sync with bluetooth), sleep function...if you wear the stupid wristband

Jawbone Up
Pros: Accuracy, inactive notification (vibrates), records activities, measures sleep, wake from sleep, looks like a normal bracelet - harder to lose, new app looks better
Cons: must be plugged into audio jack of phone to upload information (hard if you have certain phone cases), losing a cap is inevitable, spotty reliability history

Nike Fuelband
Pros: the almighty Nike name, looks like a normal bracelet, harder to lose, the app is great, bluetooth syncing with phone
Cons: stupid Nike Fuel measurement, other measurements are not accurate (Polar heart rate monitor said I burned 360 calories, Fuelband said I burned 177 on my elliptical), no sleep measurements, no activity measurements, price ($161 after taxes)

I returned the Nike Fuelband yesterday and planned on getting a Fitbit One today. I'm not sure if I should hold off now. I am forced to put the devices, except the fitbit, into my pocket when I officiate. It wasn't a problem Saturday night (college game) with the Fuelband, but the stupid Nike Fuel said I didn't reach my goal after being on the elliptical for 30 minutes in the morning and running an entire college game...that should have been more than 10,000 steps (what I have been told should be everyone's goal).

Sorry for the long post. Since I am in the position I am in this gives me something to think about.

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nice observations, but in reality all of these devices are gimmicks at best

macrumors member

- For a lot of guys, myself include, weight lifting is a staple part of their workout routine and none of these devices have yet to find a way to accurately record and measure this type of movement/exercise

- The devices that have a GPS feature (so this doesn't count the FuelBand) may be semi-accurate at estimating calories burned while running , biking, or walking, but the accelerometers in the devices are still not very accurate with their accelerometer readings. So if you are on a treadmill, stationary bike, or elliptical you will not get an accurate reading. True that the machines themselves usually have a caloric read out, but then if they do that defeats the purpose of the bracelets, doesn't it?

- Assuming someone's maine form of working out was biking/running/jogging/walking (which I know it is for a lot of people), then there are free alternatives already built into the iPhone and can be used with the app store. Remember your iphone (and most smartphones) have GPS and accelerometers installed. Personally I use mapmyrun, because it tells me how far/fast I run and gives a lot of other useful statsics like average mile time, pace, calories burned, etc.

- If you are using a bracelet to measure your caloric intake (hint hint,: Nike+ Fuel and "Points" system) there are free alternatives to that on the app store too. I use MyFitnessPal. Has a HUGE database of different foods and their calories, and you can also enter the amount of calories you burn with just about any type of workout too, so you can figure out your net amount of calories for that day. So using MapMyRun + MyFitnessPal is free and really I can't figure out anything else that I would need.

- And finally, there is the "gimicky" idea that people have to use something like this to get them active. Is there a reason you need a fancy gizmo to start running everyday? Does it make you run faster, or does it make that running burn more calories? Is it suddenly going to make you eat less or make healthier choices about what you eat. On this last point, I make it knowing that it is not true for all people. While, personally, I realize that common sense and lifestyle changes are the greatest tools in changing your health, I can see how the visual display of how healthy you are being might motivate a few people (but how long will you stay motivated after the shinyness and newness wears off of your new gizmo?)

macrumors 6502

nice observations, but in reality all of these devices are gimmicks at best

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Certainly the possibility exists that someone will buy one of these products and remain firmly planted on the couch. The same could be said for home gyms, gym memberships, etc. However, for those of us who monitor our activity, they are not gimmicks. For instance, I can tell you that I reached my goal using the Nike product and didn't reach my goal when I think I had more activity. Without the device it is a wag, but less interesting.

At the end of the day, these are pedometers with improved functionality. If you think they are gimmicks it would be a wise choice to keep your money in your pocket. For me and others they are used to monitor and motivate.

In response to Boilermaker (I am assuming you are a fellow Hoosier), I get off the Elliptical in the morning and my day isn't finished. A device like this allows me to 1) measure various activities throughout the day, 2) get an accumulated amount of exercise data and 3) measure my sleep (as accurately as they may be at doing this). I also have a Withings scale and blood pressure cuff so I guess I just like to have information and love technology.

I like to think I am somewhat active, but I just want to have the information that tells me how active I really am. I agree, it will be nice to have a device that can measure/monitor weightlifting activities. Maybe someone will create a device that does it all.

I also have to say that I would never workout with my iPhone. That is just my personal preference although I can see how having the actual location data would be helpful. If I was a runner like that I would probably buy a watch that did that for me....yes, I would have a watch on along with my Fitbit or Jawbone Up.

Moderator emeritus

- For a lot of guys, myself include, weight lifting is a staple part of their workout routine and none of these devices have yet to find a way to accurately record and measure this type of movement/exercise

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I look at these as devices to measure cardio training, not strength training. They serve very different purposes and need to be counted differently. I'm not saying both aren't important, because they are, but it's difficult to find a measurement that accurately tracks both in a meaningful way. (Yes I know you burn calories while weightlifting but that isn't the primary goal of that activity.) I don't think that makes it a gimmick.

macrumors newbie

Does any one else find it insulting that jawbone bumps the price up an extra $30 after the ridiculous failure at a premium of 99. If anything they should have reduced the intro price below 99 to attempt to get customer trust back.

Moderator emeritus

Does any one else find it insulting that jawbone bumps the price up an extra $30 after the ridiculous failure at a premium of 99. If anything they should have reduced the intro price below 99 to attempt to get customer trust back.

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No, I don't find it insulting. They issued refunds and let you keep the device. That's more than many companies would have done. If it's going to cost $30 more to make whatever change they needed to and get it right, then they should do it and up the price.

macrumors 68020

If anything they should have reduced the intro price below 99 to attempt to get customer trust back.

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If a customer does not trust a brand that has publicly acknowledged a problem within weeks, identified the technical root cause, offered an apology from the CEO along with a no questions asked refund, I don't see how pricing the new version cheaper than the old one will make them believe Jawbone is trustworthy. A lower price would help them sell more, but it will not engender any more trust.

macrumors 68020

Comes to the UK in 2013 so no need to take a punt on it.. lots of reviews will be out by then. I really wish them well this time round.

Got my mother the Nike Fuelband in September and she absolutely loves it. The constant reminder to burn calories just by it being on her arm has really helped her lose weight. I'd like to be more active too, I think these are really great, and not a gimmick as a guy said above (although before my mother's results I thought they were gimmicky also).

macrumors 65816

there is the "gimicky" idea that people have to use something like this to get them active. Is there a reason you need a fancy gizmo to start running everyday?

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Yes. With an erratic schedule (starting with two toddlers), scheduling in a repeating block of time is not easy. Using a pedometer was very helpful in identifying how active, or not, I am each day; at the end of the day, I could just check a display and tell whether I needed a mile walk at midnight to hit my daily activity goal. If the day's events make me hit 10,000 steps without further effort, then heck yeah I'm not piling on a half hour run.

The key attraction of the UP to me is the dynamic wake feature. I know there's an optimal wake-up time in the morning which does not occur at the same time every day, and not long after is a period which is a lousy time to wake. Having something that can notice when that optimum time has arrived - varying daily - and wake me then would make for a great start to every day.

macrumors 68000

The key attraction of the UP to me is the dynamic wake feature. I know there's an optimal wake-up time in the morning which does not occur at the same time every day, and not long after is a period which is a lousy time to wake. Having something that can notice when that optimum time has arrived - varying daily - and wake me then would make for a great start to every day.

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+1 for the smart alarm. This is the one thing that I've missed the most since selling my UP v1.0. Can't wait to get v2.0, hopefully I can tonight I just wish that all colors were available immediately, but it seems like just the black is (or so Jawbone's online store has made it seem).

Edit: I just realized I've replied to you twice today. I'm not stalking, I swear, lol.

No, I don't find it insulting. They issued refunds and let you keep the device. That's more than many companies would have done. If it's going to cost $30 more to make whatever change they needed to and get it right, then they should do it and up the price.

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Big joke?
Issued refunds?
Not in my case, only US costumers.
To sell the world is open but for support not!
Avoid this crapy brand who don't know watt costumers support is.

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